Texturizer spray machines are in common usage for applying drywall mud and other materials. Quite commonly, the spray machines employ a hand-held spray gun to which is attached a hopper for the material to be sprayed. The person utilizing the spray machine manually supports the machine and activates the spray gun to entrain texturizing material being fed from the hopper into a compressed air stream emitted from the air nozzle of the sprayer. Examples of spray machines of this type are the Pace Setter Gun and Hopper and the Pattern Pistol Gun and Hopper made available by Goldblatt of Osage, Kansas.
While prior art spray devices are highly satisfactory in many respects, problems are encountered in that the air-entrained texturizing material stream often can cover a greater area than desired. For example, the operator may have difficulty restricting spray application to a relatively confined area. Also, spatter may occur outside the area desired.
While attempts have been made to control application through use of interchangeable air nozzles and different sized orifices in the gun, such approaches are both inconvenient and relatively ineffective.
Another problem arises due to the fact that conventional texturizer spray guns have a propensity to drip texturizer material.
Yet another problem encountered when utilizing conventional hand-held spray machines is that the operator has difficulty storing or supporting the unit when it is not actually in use. That is, conventional spray machines of the hand held type have a propensity to tip and spill the contents of the hopper when not being supported by the operator. While it is conventional practice for an operator to attempt to prop the unit against a wall or other support when not using it, the weight of the texturizing material in the hopper as well as the structural configuration and weight of the spray machine itself make it highly likely that the apparatus will tip and fall over, especially if subjected to even minor impact or vibration, as is often the case in construction environments.